New data from the 2018 U.S. Health report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics depict a grim outlook for the U.S., with exorbitant healthcare spending and increased rates of drug overdose deaths, vaping use, obesity and prescription drug use. However, a decline in teen birth rates, cigarette use and infant mortality rates provide silver linings.
Drug overdose mortality
- The death rate for drug overdoses increased 82 percent from 2007 to 2017, a jump from 11.9 to 21.7 deaths per 100,000 people.
- Drug overdose death rates were higher among males than females for all ages except those 65 and over.
Vaping and tobacco use
- 1.5 percent of students grades 9-12 used e-cigarettes in 2011, compared to 20.8 percent in 2018.
- In 2017, 14.1 percent of adults smoked cigarettes, a decline from 19.7 percent in 2007.
Obesity
- From 1999-2000 to 2015-16, obesity among women increased by 7.9 percent (41.2 percent of women are obese) and obesity among men increased by 10.7 percent (38.1 percent).
Prescription Drugs
- Eleven percent of Americans in 2016 said they took five or more prescriptions within 30 days, nearly twice the rate in 1999-2000 (6.5 percent).
Teen birth rates
- The birth rate for teens ages 15-19 years fell by more than half from 2007 to 2017, from 41.5 to 18.8 births per 1,000 teens — a record low for the U.S.
Infant Mortality
- In 2017, the infant mortality rate was 14 percent less than 2007, at 5.79 deaths per 1,000 births.
- However, rates vastly differ due to race/ethnicity. The infant mortality rate was 170 percent higher among infants of non-Hispanic black women than of non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander women.
Mortality
- In 2017, the all-cause death rate among males and females was 6 percent lower than 2007.
- The leading causes of death were heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries.
Healthcare expenditures
- Expenditures added up to nearly $3 trillion in 2017, a 3.8 percent increase from 2016.
- Spending on hospital care, physician/clinical services and prescription drugs accounted for almost 75 percent of the total $2.96 billion personal healthcare expenditures.
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